Sneak Peek
June 20, 2008
Tomorrow we launch the new “church formerly known as Superstition Springs Community Church” website. The client (and my employer) asked for a simple and clean website that could provide detailed up-to-date info about the church as well as message download (mp3) and front-end communication. In the future the next step is a more web 2.0 typical site, but we want to make that culture change first.
So, Rethynk readers get a first look. This has been my life’s work for the last month, with major hurdles being maintaining the look and making it cross-browser friendly, as well as gathering content. Also, I had to use stock photos for about half of the page headers, which I hate, but I will be replacing them with originals in a few weeks.
You can view the new site HERE.
Tell me what you think and if you notice any bugs and what browser you are using. Thanks!
From ASBO
June 19, 2008
One of my new favs from ASBO.
Your own social network
June 19, 2008
This is part of Creative Chaos.
You have heard of Web 2.0? Its the use of social networking tools on websites to involve the end-users in content writing and interaction. Well, Web 3.0 (I just made that up) involves site not just USING social networking engines (Facebook, Twitter, etc) but leaving traditional sites behind and creating their OWN social networks. We are about to experiment with this switch in student ministry and the engine we have chosen is Ning. With this tool (free with ads), user can create, manage, and be their own Chris Hughes of their social network. It could be a great tool for churches and next gen companies if used to its capacity.
The New Cold War
June 18, 2008
This whole communism vs. democracy thing just won’t go away. The next phase of the cold war will be digital… HT to Gnucitizen for THIS article which highlights some of the snooping the Chinese have been doing lately.
ASP Formmail Script
June 16, 2008
Well, I am in the homestretch of the new SSCC site. It is clean. It is simple. I like it.
Anyways, today I had planned to make the contact and sign-up pages. This is easy. I started at 11 and I am just now finishing up (3:30). As it turns out, my host makes sending mail VERY hard because of spam restrictions. I can’t use port 25, can’t use ANY mail script that does not validate the server, and PHP’s mail() is a big no no. I spent the better half of the last few hours looking for an ASP script that fits my needs and makes my server happy.
In case you are ever in this situation, I wanted to share my day’s work with you to save you time. It validates and it works great. Enjoy!
<%
Dim f_name
F_name = request.form(”name”)
dim f_email
f_email = request.form(”email”)
dim f_message
f_message= request.form(”content”)Set oMail = Server.CreateObject(”SMTPsvg.Mailer”)
oMail.FromName = “from name”
oMail.FromAddress= “your email addy here”
oMail.RemoteHost = “your host here”
oMail.contentType = “text/html”
oMail.AddRecipient “”, “where it goes (must match FromAddress)”
oMail.Subject = “form mail subject”
HTML = “<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC”"-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN”">”
HTML = HTML & “<html>”
HTML = HTML & “<head>”
HTML = HTML & “<meta http-equiv=”"Content-Type”"”
HTML = HTML & “content=”"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1″”>”
HTML = HTML & “<title>HTMLMail</title>”
HTML = HTML & “</head>”
HTML = HTML & “<body bgcolor=”"FFFFFF”">”
HTML = HTML & “Name: ” & f_name & “<br>”
HTML = HTML & “Email: ” & f_email & “<br>”
HTML = HTML & “Message: ” & f_message & “<br>”
HTML = HTML & “</body>”
HTML = HTML & “</html>”oMail.Bodytext = HTML
If oMail.SendMail Then
Response.redirect “redirect URL” ‘or you could write by using .write function
Else
Response.Write “Mail not sent, send failure. Error was ” & oMail.Response & “<br>”
End If
oMail.ClearAllRecipients
oMail.ClearBodyText
Set oMail = Nothing
%>
Best Father’s Day Ad ever
June 16, 2008
HT to Haacked for this. Its an ad by a condom company…
I’m a Pro-crastinate
June 14, 2008
Are you like me? Do you do your best work when you have to have it done in an hour? This principle is law in my life. I have learned, whenever I plan too much in advance and give myself time to think, rethynk, and redo something… it goes badly, or at least worse than if I threw it together last minute.
Some examples of this are:
- >gift shopping- that is, when my wife makes me do it… crap, tomorrow is Father’s Day!
- >message prep- I outline and study 3-5 days out but construct the day before… it works for me
- >school- which explains a lot
- >yard work- I like to race the sun to see who is finished first
- >packing for trips- I do this no earlier than 2 hours before departure (look at my vacation pics, I am wearing the same shirt in all of them… jk)
Anyways, I’m sure there is some right brain-left brain explanation for this, but generally I procrastinate that which I HAVE to do, but take my time with that which I WANT to do… thats not to say I don’t like the things on my list, I just wish there was a more interesting way to do them.
What is art?
June 11, 2008
My vote says its not THIS.
Why Barack will win
June 11, 2008
Going back to Dole v Clinton, I have accurately predicted each U.S. Presidential Election. I am undefeated. I am ready to make my prediction for 2008… Barack Obama, or barack HUSSEIN obama as the Republichristians like to call him.
Up until now, the knock on him is that he has been too dedicated to his home church, which is a bonus if you ask this pastor. He is younger, a new face, a great communicator and his opponent in the fall is none of these things. Not that it matters in American politics anymore, but I believe his positions on the issues are more in tune with where the majority of Americans are.
But none of these are the main reason.
From my perspective (a 15.1″ non-glare MacBook Pro screen), Obama is owning McCain. I spent some time lately on each candidate’s site and if the web department for each campaign were to fight MMA style, Obama’s camp would win by knocking out McCain’s at the starting glove tap. McCain’s website with its gigantic fonts, single color (blue), and grainy images looks like it was made by Uncle Ron’s Web Design in a strip mall in Boise, Idaho. Obama’s site is designed with the advanced digital age in mind. There are logos, widgets, syndicated feeds, even a Twitter account to keep his supporters rallied. I even found this gem of a graphic for the proud, Obama-supporting Republicans to flash where they please. The desktop wallpapers also impress and if I weren’t apolitical myself, I might just sport one because of the intricate use of layering and color styles. Its all very much the definition of Web 2.0 and running it all for him is Facebook co-founder, Chris Hughes.
Polling numbers, even though they are unreliable at best, seem to agree that the younger generation is showing interest in this election like never before, and that helps Obama in a big way. While pundits and TV/radio blowhards will want to talk about fringe issues and make silly “guilt-by-associations” out of this election, common sense and a bit of pop culture intellect show me that we the people will have a President Barack Obama come 2009… or President barack HUSSIEN obama if you are a Republichristian.
Blupdate
June 10, 2008
I haven’t posted anything controversial lately and besides the nav, I haven’t changed much here. But I will soon, I promise. I have some thoughts about politics, church trendiness, and creative stuff… they just have to wait. I am on a deadline right now, once that gets met, “Publish button, here I come!”
iChat: nickasolas@mac.com
